by Larry EderI looked forward to my Sunday runs. I would leave with my VW bus (1969 camper) about 6.30 am and drive up to Santa Cruz Mountains. Our coach, Dan Durante, lived in the middle of the Santa Cruz Mountains, with his wife, Cherry, and a llama, tortoise, goat, and various and sundry other creatures.
The women’s 5000m, Monaco, August 14, 2020, photo by Etienne Fiacre
The runs would take us back in history. Dan had this book of historic Santa Cruz towns. We would head down the old roads, nestled between the coverage provided by old growth redwood trees. The runs were 18-22 miles, and the initial ten miles was slightly downhill, quick and relaxed. We might cover it in 62-65 minutes. The way back was an arduous, gut wrenching series of switchbacks, and Paul and I would speak a bit, then, just get into the hills and go at the hills, side by side, the only sounds our gasps for air, and my occasional use of profanity, as we made the top of a hill, with only more hills to come. Paul would laugh at the profanity, then, charge the next hill.
As we crested the top hill, and reached Dan’s house, a hose with cold mountain water greeted us. It would not taste so good ever again in my life. And then, Dan, just like he saw trainers do with their horses, would soak our legs with chilled water. It was true, little or no fatigue the next day. Dan did that with us for years.
The long runs stay in my mind as if it was yesterday. Make memories. Get in those long runs.
Stay safe.
Sunday: Long runs, 70-75 minutes
2020 RunBlogRun Spring Track & Field Training program, in the time of the coronavirus, Week 34, day 7
Monday: warm up, an easy 50 minutes, 6 x 150 m stride outs, cooldown
Tuesday: warm up, 15 minutes easy, tempo run, 20 minutes, at pace 30 seconds above your ave mile pace for 5k now. So, if you ran 18 minutes for 5k, you can run 20 minutes at 6:20 mile pace, this is not to exhaust you, but to build you, 4x300m cutdowns, cooldown
Wednesday: warm up, an easy 45 minutes, 6 x 150 m stride outs, cooldown
Thursday: warm up, 60 minute hilly run, include a long 10 minute hilly grind, and 5×3 minute hilly charge, cooldown
Friday: warm up, an easy 45 minutes, 6 x 150 m stride outs, cooldown
Saturday: warm up, Fartlek: 5 minutes at 5k pace, 5 minutes easy, 4 minutes at 5k pace, 4 minutes easy, 3 minutes at 5k pace, 3 minutes easy, 2 minutes at 5k pace, 2 minutes easy, 30 minutes, steady state, cooldown, or,
20 x 1 minute, 5 k pace, 2 minutes easy, 20 minutes, steady state, cooldown.
Sunday: Long runs, 70-75 minutes
